Texas Football: The Latest Recruiting News and Notes

With spring football firmly yesterday's news, the recruiting switch has been flipped on for college football programs across the country.

The Texas Longhorns have sprinted off the blocks in their 2014 recruiting efforts, but some recent events could have them going backward before seeking out other means to get their fill.

Although the Longhorns may be facing some fluctuation in their recruiting class, they are still on the prowl in search for the next puzzle piece to add to their 2014 haul, not to mention additions to their coaching staff to assist in those recruiting efforts.

It is prime recruiting time for the coaching staff, and for the next handful of weeks before summer workouts begin, Mack Brown and Co. will have their hands full scouring the high school landscape.

Demetrius Knox Decommits

Despite the hefty pace at which Texas is recruiting and seeing commitments, the Longhorns took a big hit to their 2014 class on Monday.

Fort Worth All Saints Episcopal offensive lineman Demetrius Knox, one of the top players in the state of Texas, decided to open up his commitment.

The 'Horns still have a pledge from Terrell Cuney to help soothe any repercussions along the line, but Knox's decommit definitely stings as he is, by many accounts, the top-ranked offensive lineman in the state.

In some respects, the sting is as sharp as when Chandler Hamilton (AZ) lineman Christian Westerman switched his commitment from Texas to Auburn in the 2011 class.

The Longhorns went on to close out their class with some strong contributors nonetheless (Ash, Diggs, Shipley, Bergeron, Cochran, Thompson), results that they will have to mirror in this year's class.

Texas Keeps Hunting

In the 2014 class alone, the Longhorns have been all over the map trying searching for potential pieces to add to their recruiting haul.

Texas has recently looked up a number of running backs, including Plano West's Auston Anderson, Oakley (CA) Freedom's Joe Mixon and Newton's Kevin Shorter. Despite the Longhorns having two commitments at running back in Donald Catalon and Daniel Gresham, they have not been shy about looking under every rock.

The Longhorns have also reached out to Elisha Shaw, a defensive tackle out of Atlanta and one of the top defensive linemen in the country.

Texas has also kept in the mix for defensive end Andrew Williams out of McDonough in Eagles' Landing, Ga.

But where Texas may struggle the most is finding a viable lineman to replace Knox. With the talent pool very underwhelming in the Lone Star State this year, any misses from here on out could present some lingering problems down the road.

The Longhorns Add a Shipley

As if having receivers Jordan and Jaxon Shipley were not enough, Mack Brown added their father, Bob, to the coaching staff as a football analyst in the player personnel department.

This is another in a line of moves to help recruiting efforts by buffing the coaching staff, thanks to the deregulation by the NCAA in January.

The Shipley hire follows that of Patrick Suddes, who was the Director of Player Personnel at Alabama and has assumed the same position in Austin.

The Bottom Line

The Knox decommit will continue to sting as the Longhorns seek out others to replace his offer. There is no other offensive lineman like him in the state of Texas, and the 'Horns will be hard-pressed to find a worthy replacement.

Nevertheless, it seems that Mack Brown has been much more outgoing in his recruiting efforts, venturing outside of the borders of Texas more frequently than ever. But will it pay off?